Improvement in changeable-gage trucks



2 Sheets-Sheet?. J. TIMM'S. Changeable-Gage Truck.

n Pmn'fenrSept.10.1878:`

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NTTED y TATEs PATENT TTTGT.;

JAMEs TIMMs, or MALTA, omo, Assrcivon oF oNnHALF His RIGHT ToV A. J.Monats, or sAMn. rLAon.

IMPROVEMENT IN CHANGEABLE-G'AGE TRUCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 207,998, datedSeptember 10, 1878 application filed June 22, 187e.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES TIMMS, of Malta, in the county of Morgan andState of Ohio, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in TransferDevices for Railway-Tracks of Different Gages; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of theconstruction and operation of the same, reference being had to the'annexed drawings, making a part of this speci-` fication, and to theletters and iigures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is a top view 0f my improved car-truck. Fig. 2is a transverse strong wooden or metallic frames, B, properlyV bracedtogether, and, if desired, prevented from sagging by a suitabletrussing.

C represents pedestals, carrying in theirA lower portions the axle-boxesa, and arranged directly opposite each other upon the frames aforesaid.These pedestals are two or more in number-that 1s, there may be two ormore pairs thereof. Each pair affords bearings tov a short axle, D, uponwhich is secured inthe usual manner a flanged car-wheel, E. The sidebeams of the truck-sections are connected together by means of strongtim-1 bers b b', the one bolted to the under side and the other to topthereof, and extending trans-` versely across the frames at the middleof their length. The upper middle braces, b', are each provided with asmooth metallic bearingplate, c, upon their upper faces, the object ofwhichwill be hereinafter explained, the said plate being let into thesaid brace preferably.

Upon the side bars d d of the trucksections are erected strongrectangular metallic loops x, extending above the upper braces, b', andstraddling the same, through which loops the bolster F is passed. Thisbolster has at the center of its length a metallic bearing, e, uponwhich the car-body rests, and through which passes the king-bolt thatsecures the car to the truck. The bolster is in no wise secured tothetrucksections, and has upon its under side metallic plates e', thatreceive the plates e of braces b'. n

At each end of the compound truck thus formed is a metallic lock-bar, J,rigidly secured at oneend to one of the truck-sections, and extendingthrough a guide-loop, m, 'on the other. The free end of the lock-bar isprovided with a stop, n, that prevents the same from becoming disengagedfrom the loop m. These lockbars have spaced perforations o cut throughthem, with which, under 4circumstances hereinafter set forth, aspring-catch, j, upon the trucksection having the guides m, is designedto engage when the said perforations come in. line with a perforation,o', in the said guides. The catch is raised and the lock-bar released bymeans of a rock-shaft, k, carrying a cam,

p, under said catch, that is rotated by a crankarm or hand-wheel.

T represents the rails of the track, gradu-l 1 ally lessenin g in theirdistance apart from wide gage to narrowuntil they merge into the railsof the narrow-gage track. Inside of the rails of the converging track isa guard-rail, V, sut ciently yspaced to admit the flange of the wheels.At the point y, where the converging trackmerges into the broad-gage,the rails are somewhat farther apart than onthe broad-gage itself, bywhich means the sections of the truck are caused to separatesufficiently to provide Vfor endwise play ofthe axles and secure theengagement ofthecatch and lock-bar. Fora similar reason the rails infront of the narrow-gage track are somewhat nearer together than on thenarrow-gage itself, as shown at y.

In passing from the broad to the narrow gage track, the flanges of thewheels bear against the eonvergin g rails, and as the cars move thesections of the truck approach each other by Y a sliding movement on thebolster, owing tcb the constraint caused by the convergence of saidrails. In passing from the 'narrow to the broad gage track, thedivergence of the guardrails against which the anges of the wheels bearcauses the truck-sections to separate by a sliding movement until thecatch engages the lock-bar.

I do not propose to confine myself to the precise construction of thetruck-sections, lockbars, and catches hereinbefore described, as thereare many other modes of construction which might be adopted withoutgoing outside of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with the bolster F and independent truck-sectionssliding thereon to or from each other, of the lock-bars J, having thestop n, engaging loops m on one of said sections, whereby said stop nprevents the lockbar from being disengaged from the loops, substantiallyas specified.

2. The combination, with the bolster F, of independent truck-sections d,having .guideloops x, sliding on said bolster, the perforated lock-barsJ, secured to one of the sections and engaging the loops m on the other,in connection with the rock-shaft Je, having' the cam p, operating thespringcatch j, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially asshown and described.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES TIMMS. fitnesscsz WM. H. Grmsn, F. J. MAsL

